“A new era will probably be born,” Nicola Pietrangeli believes Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will be the new Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of men’s tennis

The 90-year-old, however, denied to call Sinner the best Italian ever.

“A new era will probably be born,” Nicola Pietrangeli believes Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz will be the new Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of men’s tennis

Nicola Pietrangeli talks about Carlos Alcaraz and Jannik Sinner's rivalry getting as bigger as Federer's and Nadal's (Images via Imago)

Italian tennis ace Jannik Sinner is rising to the ranks with every passing match. The 22-year-old will be the new World No. 1 after the end of the 2024 Roland Garros. This rise in stature for the Italian ace has attracted massive praise for Sinner and two-time former French Open champion Nicola Pietrangeli is also among the admirers.

The 90-year-old Italian not only heaped praise on Sinner but also went on to declare that the 22-year-old and his biggest rival on the tour at present, Carlos Alcaraz will be the new Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal of men’s tennis. Pietrangeli claimed that it would be the dawn of a new era with Alcaraz and Sinner dominating the tour.

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Now a new era will probably be born: first there were Nadal and Federer, now it will be his and Alcaraz's turn.
Nicola Pietrangeli said about Jannik Sinner and Carlos Alcaraz.

Notably, Alcaraz and Sinner have given birth to a new epic rivalry on the tour. The two players have faced each other eight times so far on the tour and the head-to-head scorecard hangs in the balance with both players winning four matches each. However, it will change when they meet in the semifinal of the 2024 Roland Garros.

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Nicola Pietrangeli not ready to accept Jannik Sinner as Italian No. 1

While the 90-year-old heaped loads of praise on Jannik Sinner for his rise to the top of the rankings, Nicola Pietrangeli is still not ready to accept that Sinner is the best Italian player ever. He said that he is still the best Italian to have played the sport.

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Jannik Sinner in action at 2024 Roland Garros (Image via Imago)

Pietrangeli also said that he does not understand the modern-day rankings and claimed that Sinner was already the World No. 1 even if the points indicated that Novak Djokovic was at the top of the list. 

Am I still the greatest Italian tennis player of all time? I'm in danger of not being one anymore, we'll see at the end of Sinner's career. But for the moment still yes...The ATP ranking system? Sinner had already been number one for a few weeks, even if the points still indicated Djokovic as the leader. Maybe it was better before when the rankings were drawn up by journalists. I hope one day someone will explain to me what this modern era is.
Nicola Pietrangeli said. (H/T: OA Sport)

Apart from this, the 90-year-old also talked about the challenges that await Sinner after climbing to the top of the rankings. Pietrangeli claimed that while Sinner would be satisfied with his achievement he would now have enemies on the tour. The former Italian tennis legend then hoped Sinner’s team to take care of things.

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